AFI Fest announces auteur pics, Swanberg focus

New Auteurs prize to be awarded for first time

A spotlight on mumblecore forefather Joe Swanberg and titles for the New Auteurs and Young Americans sections have been announced by the AFI Fest. Event, which runs Nov. 3-10 in Hollywood, will award the New Auteurs Critics Prize for the first time. Among the first and second-time filmmakers competing for the prize are Cristian Jimenez with “Bonsai,” Julia Loktev with “The Loneliest Planet,” and Markus Schleinzer with “Michael.”

Titles in the Young Americans section for emerging U.S. filmmakers include “The Color Wheel,” “Green,” “Wuss” and “The Dish and the Spoon,” docu “Dragonslayer” and experimental pic “Spark of Being.”

The spotlight on Joe Swanberg will screen his Full Moon trilogy, including “Silver Bullets,” “Art History” and the world premiere of “The Zone.”